Engines Exposed 2015
1956 Chevrolet Bel Air V-8 cylinder engine, overhead valves, 265 cubic inches displacement,
225 horsepower
It’s the most enduring 8-cylinder American automobile engine. Chevrolet introduced its “small block” V-8 in 1955 — and kept
on building it until 2003. Nearly every General Motors division used some variant, and total production was over 100 million. Not bad for an engine designed
in 15 weeks. The compact unit is all but swallowed up by the Chevy’s engine bay. Note the relatively small-sized radiator, too. Efficient cooling was one of the small block’s many advantages. Matt Anderson, curator of transportation at The Henry Ford.
Engines Exposed 2015
1956 Chevrolet Bel Air V-8 cylinder engine, overhead valves, 265 cubic inches displacement,
225 horsepower
It’s the most enduring 8-cylinder American automobile engine. Chevrolet introduced its “small block” V-8 in 1955 — and kept
on building it until 2003. Nearly every General Motors division used some variant, and total production was over 100 million. Not bad for an engine designed
in 15 weeks. The compact unit is all but swallowed up by the Chevy’s engine bay. Note the relatively small-sized radiator, too. Efficient cooling was one of the small block’s many advantages. Matt Anderson, curator of transportation at The Henry Ford.